Accelerator governor linkage



Nov. 14, 1939. M Hm-roN AL 2.179.788-

ACCELERATOR GOVERNOR LINKAGE Filed Nov. 5, 1937 Patented Nov. 14, 1939 UNl'lED STATES @ATENT @FFMZE Edward M. Hinton and William A. Brandt, Drexel Hill, Pa; said Brandt assignor to said Hinton Application November 5, 1937, Serial No. 173,024

3 Claims.

This invention relates to internal combustion engines, and particularly to devices for use in connection with the throttle valves of such engines for controlling the rate of fuel flow, in order to permit such rate to be increased with the maximum speed at which the engine is capable of emciently utilizing the fuel, while at the same time preventing the rate of fuel flow from being increased so rapidly as to cause choking of the 10 engine, due to an over supply of fuel, or inefiicient or wasteful use of the fuel.

In the application of Edward M. Hinton, Serial No. 85,179, now Patent No. 2,li,649, granted Jan. i, 1938, there is described a device for controlling the opening movements of an internal combustion engine throttle valve, which device comprises a special form of dash pot, for controlling the movements of the ordinary accelerator pedal in accordance with a predetermined curve 20 of acceleration which curve depends upon the characteristics of the particular engine with which the device is intended to be used. The expression curve of acceleration is defined, in said application, and Will be employed herein- 25 after, as signifying the varying rate, determined by the characteristics of the particular engine, at which the throttle should be opened in order to provide for maximum acceleration at all engine speeds.

30 The present invention relates to an improvement in the means by which the device of said Hinton application is operatively connected to the accelerator pedal and to the throttle valve, and has for one of its objects the provision or" 35 means whereby the rate at which the throttle valve may be opened, in accordance with the characteristics of the governing device, may be made substantially independent of the amount of force applied to the accelerator pedal.

40 Another object of the present invention is the provision of a lost motion device by means of which the throttle valve is enabled to close substantially instantaneously, or in other words, as rapidly as if it were not equipped with a govern- 45 ing device.

ther and further objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which,

59 Figure l. is a schematic illustration of one mode in which the present invention may be applied to a motor vehicle; and

Figure 2 is an enlarged detail view, partly in vertical section, of the governing device to which 55 the present invention is applied, and illustrating the type of connection employed, in accordance with the present invention, between said governing device and the throttle valve.

In order to facilitate an understanding of the invention, reference is made to the embodiment 5 thereof shown in the accompanying drawing and detailed descriptive language is employed. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the invention is thereby intended and that various changes and alterations are contemplated such as would ordinarily occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates.

Referring to Figure 2, the governing device designated generally at A comprises a cylinder 5 and a piston 6 reciprocably mounted therein. The device is intended to be filled with a suitable fluid, such as air or a liquid of any desired viscosity, and is closed at the top by a cylinder head 1, provided with a gland 8 in which the piston rod 9 is slidably mounted.

The rate at Which the piston it can be moved downwardly by the application of any given force is controlled in accordance with the movements of a rotary valve in the piston head, which valve is in turn controlled by a cam groove It. The latter is formed in accordance with the above mentioned predetermined curve of acceleration of the particular type of engine, and in most cases will permit of an increasing speed of descent of the piston 6 into the cylinder 5. The details of construction of the governing device A form no part of the present invention, and need not be further described herein.

In applying the linkage of the present invention to a governing device of the nature described, the latter is preferably secured rigidly to the engine at a suitable point adjacent the carbureter, as illustrated in Figure 1, and is provided with an upwardly extending bracket H for purposesto be hereinafter described.

Pivoted adjacent the upper end of the bracket H is a lever l2, one end of which is pivotally connected to a link I3, which in turn is pivotally connected to the operating arm M of the throttle valve. The latter is disposed in the usual manner within the fuel conduit of the carbureter 5.

The opposite end of the lever l 2 is formed with a shallow recess l6 (Fig. 2) for rocking engagement with the upper extremity of the piston rod 9. The lever l2 and the piston rod 9 are nor mally urged into engagement by means of a spring I! which is connected between the end of the lever l2 and a suitable projection l8 with which the piston rod 9 is provided.

A second lever i9 is similarly pivoted to the bracket ll and is also connected, by means of a spring 20, with the projection l8 of the piston rod 9. At its opposite end, the lever I9 is pivotally connected with a vertical link 2|, which in turn is pivoted at the outer end of the arm 22 of a bell crank. The latter is carried by a bracket 23 which is suitably secured to the engine, andthe arm 24 of the bell crank is pivotally connected with the forward end of a rod 25. The latter is connected, at its opposite end, to the ordinary accelerator pedal 26, and is normally urged to closed throttle position by a spring 21. A vertical link 28 is pivoted to the lever l9 at a point forward of the bracket 1 I, and is provided adjacent its upper end with an elongated slot 29 for engagement with a pin 30 provided on the lever l2. By virtue of this mode of connection between the levers l9 and I2, it is apparent that'the lever l2 may lag behind the lever l9 in the case of downward movements of their respective right hand or forward ends. Preferably, the springs l l and 2 are of approximately the same strength, while the spring 21 is somewhat stronger.

The operation of the above described linkage is as follows: If it is desired to open the throttle valve, force is applied in the usual manner to the accelerator pedal 26, putting the spring 21 under tension and moving the rod 25 toward the right in Figure 1. The bell crank 22, 24 is thus rocked in a counterclockwise direction, elevating the link 2| and the left hand end of lever I9. The right hand end of the latter lever is accordingly depressed, putting the spring 29 under tension and urging the piston rod 9 and the piston it downwardly, the rate of descent of the latter being governed as previously described. It will be obvious that by reason of the interposition of the spring 29 between the lever I9 and the piston rod 9, a lost motion connection is provided, and the rate of descent of the piston 6 will depend upon the characteristics of the governing device A and the spring 29 rather than upon the amount of force applied to the accelerator pedal.

As the piston rod 9 moves downwardly, the spring I 7 is put under tension and accordingly the lever I2 is rocked in a clockwise direction, elevating the link l3 and rotating the throttle valve arm I4 to open the valve. Since little resistance is encountered in opening the throttle valve, the lever 12 will normally follow quite closely the downward movements of the piston rod 9, and the throttle will therefore be opened in accordance with the predetermined characteristics of the governing device A and spring 20.

When it is desired to close the throttle, the operator removes the downward. pressure upon the accelerator pedal 26, when the spring 21 will urge the rod 25 toward the left, rocking the bell crank 24, 22 clockwise and lowering the link 2|. The lever I9 is thus rocked counterclockwise relieving the tension upon the spring 29 and at the same time elevating the link 28. The latter in turn, by reason of its pin and slot connection with the lever l2, rocks the latter counterclockwise, lowering the link l3 and closing the throttle valve. By reason of the counterclockwise movement of the lever 12, the spring I! is put under tension, thus tending to raise the piston 6 in the cylinder 5.

According to the construction described in the above identified Hinton application, the piston 6 is permitted to move upwardly at a rapid rate, as compared with its retarded downward movements, and the device, accordingly, is almost immediately in condition for a repetition of the foregoing operation. It will be appreciated that, by virtue of the resilient connections, respectively, between the levers l9 and I2 and the piston rod 9, the throttle closing movements of the levers l9 and i2 are controlled by the spring 21 and not by the governing device A. The throttle is thus permitted to close almost instantaneously when pressure is removed from the accelerator pedal.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a device for controlling the throttle valve of an internal combustion engine, a cylinder, a

piston mounted for reciprocation therein, a manually operable member, means including a resilient member connecting said manually operable member and said piston, a throttle valve, and means connecting said piston and said throttle valve, said last named means including an arm secured to said throttle valve, a lever connected to said arm and supported on a fixed pivot, and resilient means connecting said lever and said piston.

2. In a device for controlling the throttle valve of an internal combustion engine, a cylinder, a piston mounted for reciprocation therein, a manually operable member, means including a resilient member connecting said manually operable member and said piston, a throttle valve, means including a resilient member connecting said piston and said throttle valve, and lost motion means connecting said first two connecting means.

3. In a device for controlling the throttle valve of an internal combustion engine, a cylinder, a piston mounted for reciprocation therein, a manually operable member, means including a lost motion device connecting said manually operable member and said piston, a throttle valve, means including a lost motion device connecting said piston and said throttle valve, and a link pivoted to one of said connecting means and having a pin and slot connection with said other connecting means.

EDWARD M. HINTON. WILLIAM A. BRANDT. 

